General Contracting

Nupqu manages up to 70 different projects annually in a wide range of duration, scale and work force.

General Contracting Services Projects

Transmission Line Right-Of-Way Vegetation Maintenance Program

Client: BC Hydro

Location: East Kootenay
Time Period: 2000 to - Present.

Average Annual Revenue: $99,000
Reference: Bill Laflin , BC Hydro

The Nupqu falling and slashing crew has been providing services to BC Hydro Vegetation Management group since 2000. In addition to the manual clearing of vegetation within BC Hydro transmission line corridors, the Nupqu crew has also undertaken piling and chipping of slashing debris and boundary marking.

Waneta Expansion Project – 230kV Transmission Line

Nupqu was awarded the 10 km 230kV transmission line Right-of-Way planning contract which included: boundary marking, upgrade and new road construction assessments, timber reconnaissance and valuation and riparian and stream assessments. Following the successful completion of this project, Nupqu was awarded the access development and clearing contract for the same area. As prime contractor, Nupqu was responsible for contract administration, project coordination, site safety, managing sub-contractors and ensuring project scope was completed on time and within budget. Sub-contractors were utilized for the mechanized clearing and road works, and Nupqu certified fallers and slashers, comprised primarily of Ktunaxa Nation citizens, completed all aspects of manual clearing, debris management and reclamation activities.

TransCanada Pipeline BC Summer Dig Program

Client: TransCanada Pipelines & Ledcor Industrial Maintenance

Nupqu has provided TransCanada and Ledcor with various crew configurations, of up to 12 people, to undertake a wide range of tasks related to TransCanada’s on-going pipeline maintenance program. This work has been completed primarily by Ktunaxa Nation citizens and has provided members of the community the opportunity to develop capacity and skills sets related to the pipeline sector. Regular tasks included:

Hand exposing pipeline

Erosion Control

Reclamation of dig sites

Stream by-pass monitoring

Vegetation clearing and debris management

Danger tree assessment and falling

Site Security

Columbia Valley Transmission – Right of Way Layout and Clearing

Nupqu completed all aspects of the 180 km 230kV transmission line Right-of-Way contract. This included: center line slashing, boundary marking and mapping; upgrade and new road construction assessments; timber cruising; and riparian and stream assessments. Following this, Nupqu was awarded the access development and clearing contract for 8 km of the transmission line Right-of-Way. As prime contractor, Nupqu was responsible for contract administration, project coordination, site safety, managing sub-contractors and ensuring project scope was completed on time and within budget. Sub-contractors were utilized for the mechanized clearing, grubbing, debris management and road works, and Nupqu certified fallers and slashers, comprised primarily of Ktunaxa Nation members, completed all aspects of manual clearing, debris management and reclamation activities.

Access Management Program

Client: BC Hydro

Nupqu has successfully managed this program for the past four years as a subcontracted service to Chartwell Consultants Ltd. The program requires Nupqu staff to manage and coordinate with BC Hydro all road access to service BC Hydro’s utility corridor, and infrastructure in the local area. Management includes road maintenance, construction, prescription development, budgeting and on site supervision to complete required projects. Sub-contracting to registered qualified professionals is often required to complete specialized components, and any heavy equipment that is required.

Winsor Substation Upgrades

The Winsor Substation Project consisted of a complete new substation build to replace the aging old station in order to meet future demand in the area. The substation is located one mile west of the community of Elko on Burton Lake Road and serves a portion of the South Country, including Elko and area, Baynes Lake and Koocanusa.
This project was a partnership between Nupqu, on behalf of the Ktunaxa Nation, and BC Hydro Construction Services. Nupqu provided support to the project in the following ways.

Fernie Substation Upgrades

Client: BC Hydro

The Fernie Substation Project consisted of a complete overall of the existing site, which was built in the early 1970s. The newly rebuilt station allows for the increased demand that is projected for the Fernie area (approximately 11% in the next 10 years). The project is now in its final stages and the anticipated project in-service date is in spring 2018. This upgrade will allow us to continue providing clean reliable The upgrade has an estimated total budget of $24 million.
This project was a partnership between Nupqu, on behalf of the Ktunaxa Nation, and BC Hydro Construction Services. Nupqu provided support to the project in the following ways.